Astudillo Webster, P.X.; Universidad del Azuay; Samaniego, G.M.; Machado, P.J.; Aguilar, J.M.; Tinoco, B.A.; Graham, C.H.; Stony Brook University; Latta, S.C.; National Aviary (USA) & Farwig, N. (2014): <b>The impact of roads on the avifauna of páramo grasslands in Cajas National Park, Ecuador</b>. <i>Studies on Neotropical Fauna and Environment</i> <b>49</b>(3), 204-212.
Resource Description
Title:
Der Einfluss von Straßen auf die Avifauna von Paramo Grasland im Cajas Nationalpark, Ecuador
FOR816dw ID:
1314
Publication Date:
2014-09-29
License and Usage Rights:
PAK 823-825 data user agreement. (www.tropicalmountainforest.org/dataagreementp3.do)
National parks are an important tool for conserving biodiversity, particularly in areas of high biodiversity and endemism such as the tropical Andes. However, national parks often face a variety of stressors related to recreation, road construction and illegal extraction of natural resources. Unfortunately, the influence of these stressors for biodiversity is rarely well documented. Cajas National Park in Ecuador is no exception. Despite being traversed by the Cuenca-Molleturo-Naranjal road, effects of the road construction on biodiversity have not been determined. We therefore assessed the influence of road proximity on bird species richness and abundance as well as composition of bird habitat groups in Cajas National Park using transect walks at 25 m and 250 m distance to the road (overall 18 transects, each 1 km length). In total, we recorded 1110 individuals of 28 páramo bird species. Overall species richness did not differ between transects near and far from the road. Nevertheless, the average abundance of shrubby páramo species was significantly higher far from the road than near the road (Far = 36, Near = 25). Moreover, we found a tendency towards differences in the composition of bird habitat groups between transects near and far from the road. One aspect potentially driving the observed patterns was the increasing proportion of planted non-native woody tree species within páramo grassland near the road, which may have caused reduced abundances of shrubby páramo bird species there. While roads represented a clear impact on the composition of bird species in the páramo, the major effect seems to be driven by the introduction of non- native plant species along the roadside. In order to reduce the impact of roads to a minimum, we suggest that park managers should control the introduction of such plant species.
Keywords:
| Paramo | species richness | abundance | bird community | stressors | Cajas National Park | road impact |
